The Academy at Penguin Hall readies for opening

The Academy at Penguin Hall is getting ready for its inaugural school year, with more than 60 young women prepared to hit the books come the first day of school on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Before then, however, the teachers and administrators of the academy are at work finalizing their lesson plans and making sure the school campus, the former home of Mullen Advertising, is brought up to snuff with modern classrooms and other amenities.

The academy, approved to operate by the state earlier this spring, is currently the only all-girls school on the North Shore, following the closure of Nazareth Academy in Wakefield this year.

Located at 36 Essex St. in Wenham, the academy is a private preparatory school self-described as “in the Catholic tradition.” Tuition is $22,000 annually.

Unlike the traditional school day, administrators at the academy are looking to tackle a different academic model that places students in more collaborative settings.

Julie Calzini, director of curriculum and staff development, said Penguin Hall is taking an approach similar to a college curriculum that cross-pollinates the traditional courses.

Specifically, students will take on four, 80-minute classes per day, allowing them to explore their topics in depth.

“So many schools are stuck with how they’ve ‘always done it,’” she said. “We’ve looked at a lot of research, we’ve invested a lot of money in professional development, and we’re allowing the teacher to do what they naturally want to do.”

For instance, the course “Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History” would have a student research a woman in history at length, combing through research about the individual, materials associated with them, and the history of their time.

“It’s a very hands-on method in which we teach kids in unique ways,” she said. “The worst thing I can think of is having a kid look like they’re bored to death in a classroom. We can really have them think critically about the world around them.”

Additionally, she considers the single-sex classroom an absolute boon to personal development, especially among young women.

“What we don’t want girls to do is come here and believe they’re one thing and one thing only,” she said. “We want to get them out of their comfort zone.”

Sherry Cook, a math and science teacher, is among those teachers at the school fully invested in the model espoused by Calzini.

“The way we’re going to be teaching young women at Penguin Hall is absolutely the correct way,” she said. “The culture here is nothing like I’ve seen before.”

A teacher for the past decade, as well as former mechanical engineer for Polaroid, Cook said she’s looking forward to the opportunity to help young women find themselves, especially among STEM professions -- science, technology, engineering and math.

Similarly, as per the school’s mission statement, the academy is also looking to support the mission of the spiritual development of girls through volunteer opportunities and religious education such as world religious and women in ministry.

School officials say they hope to expand to 100 students next year.

For more information about the Academy at Penguin Hall, visit penguinhall.org.